w .  r 


PORTO  RICO  and 
CUBA 


By  Mrs.  CHARLES  L.  THOMPSON 


Literature  Department  of  the  Woman's  Board  of 
Home  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  U.S.A., 
156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/portoricocubaOOthom 


PORTO  RICO 


T  WAS  in  November,  1493,  on  his  second  voy¬ 
age,  that  Columhus  discovered  Porto  Rico. 
The  first  mention  of  it  is  in  a  letter  ad¬ 
dressed  to  the  Chapter  of  Seville  hy  Dr. 
Chaiica,  a  physician  to  the  fleet  of  Columbus. 
“We  discovered  another  island  called  Buren- 
quen,  which  we  judged  to  be  thirty  leagues  in  length,  for 
we  were  coasting  along  it  the  whole  of  one  day.  This  island 
is  very  heautiful  and  apparently  fertile.  Hither  the  Carib- 
bees  come  with  hie  view  of  subduing  the  inhabitants,  and 
often  carry  away  many  of  the  people.  These  islanders  have 
no  boats,  nor  any  knowledge  of  navigation.” 

Porto  Rico  was  thickly  populated  at  the  time  of  its  dis¬ 
covery  with  a  quiet,  docile  race.  In  common  with  the  other 
Indians  of  the  West  Indies  they  compressed  the  head  arti¬ 
ficially  in  infancy,  rendering  the  skull  very  hard,  and  it  is 
said  to  have  required  practice  and  skill  on  the  part  of  the 
Spanish  soldiers  to  crack  open  the  head  of  an  aborigine 
without  injuring  his  good  sword.  None  of  the  Indians  wore 
clothing,  but  they  painted  themselves  elaborately,  and  as  late 
as  1853,  Humboldt  says,  “To  go  out  of  the  hut  without  being 
painted  would  be  to  transgress  all  rules  of  Carib  decency.” 

The  friendship  with  which  the  Indians  of  the  more  north¬ 
ern  islands  greeted  the  Christian  voyagers  was  sadly  abused. 
The  white  races  have  never  felt  that  any  man  could  read 
his  title  clear  to  land,  if  he  were  unable  to  prove  his  claim 
by  superior  physical  force.  In  this  case,  as  with  the  Indians 
of  North  America,  and  the  negroes  of  Africa,  the  title  could 
not  be  proved,  and  the  Spaniards  entered  into  possession. 
Columbus,  while  depriving  the  natives  of  their  terrestrial 
titles,  took  pains  to  explain  that  they  merely  exchanged  them 
for  titles  celestial.  He  writes : 

“In  all  the  countries  visited  by  your  Highnesses’  ships  I 


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have  caused  a  high  cross  to  be  fixed  upon  every  headland, 
and  have  proclaimed  to  every  nation  that  I  have  discovered 
the  lofty  estate  of  your  Highnesses  and  of  your  Court  in 
Spain.  I  also  tell  them  all  I  can  respecting  our  holy  faith, 
and  of  the  belief  in  the  holy  Mother  Church,  which  has  its 
members  in  all  the  world,  and  I  speak  to  them  also  of  the 
courtesy  and  nobleness  of  all  Christians,  and  of  the  faith 
they  have  in  the  Holy  Trinity.” 

The  first  white  settlement  on  Porto  Rico  was  made  by 
I‘once  de  Leon,  who  came  to  the  island  in  1508  and  founded 
his  capital  the  following  year  on  the  north  shore,  calling  the 
place  Caparra.  In  the  saipe  year,  however,  he  began  to 
build  San  Juan,  to  which  town  he  shortly  moved. 

The  discovery  of  gold  in  Hayti  created  a  demand  for  labor 
and  the  natives  were  caught  and  shipped  to  the  mines,  there 
to  be  beaten  and  worked  and  starved  until  they  died.  There 
were  always  more  to  take  the  places  of  the  dead,  and  it  did 
not  pay  to  consider  complaints.  After  the  passing  of  the 
native  came  the  introduction  of  African  slavery,  though 
never  in  large  proportions  till  the  nineteenth  century. 

Although  there  was  no  mineral  wealth  in  Porto  Rico,  its 
tropical  beauties  attracted  the  cupidity  of  other  nations,  and 
in  1538  France  invaded  the  island.  The  English  tried  it  six 
times  in  all.  The  Dutch  took  a  hand  in  1625,  and  our  own 
Admiral  Porter,  in  his  successful  raids  on  the  West  Indian 
pirates,  could  not  resist  the  temptation  in  1824.  Seventy- 
four  years  later  Admiral  Sampson  fired  a  few  shots,  which 
injured  a  church  and  El  Morro,  and  departed,  leaving  the 
island  in  peace  till  the  arrival  of  General  Miles. 

In  1815  was  issued  a  royal  decree  entitled  “Regulations 
for  promoting  the  Population,  Commerce,  Industry  and 
Agriculture  of  the  Island  of  Porto  Rico.”  This  decree  held 
out  the  most  fiattering  prospects  to  worthy  foreigners,  con¬ 
ferring  on  them  the  rights  and  privileges  of  Spaniards. 
Free  land  was  granted,  and  freedom  from  taxes.  For  fifteen 
years  they  were  relieved  from  tithes  and  exportation  duties. 
That  this  was  a  wise  and  enlightened  policy  has  been  proved 


4 


!)y  the  fact  tliat  the  period  of  Porto  Rico’s  prosperity  dates 
from  tliat  time,  its  population  and  wealth  having  iucrefised 
in  greater  measure  than  in  any  other  of  the  West  Indian 
islands. 

In  1873  slavery  was  abolished,  and  thirty-four  thousand 
negroes  were  given  their  freedom.  After  five  years  they 
were  granted  the  franchise.  The  iudemuiticatiou  of  the 
masters  was  appropriated  from  the  Porto  Rican  budget. 
In  1870  Porto  Rico  was  made  a  province  of  Spain,  with  rep¬ 
resentation  in  the  Cortes,  elected  by  universal  suffrage.  In 
1S!)7  autonomy  was  granted.  By  it  the  island  had  a  Premier 
and  a  House  of  Representatives.  This  form  of  government 
was  not  fully  tried,  for  in  ISOS  the  liag  of  the  United  States 
was  raised  over  Porto  Rico  and  she  was  declared  to  be  part 
of  the  territory  of  onr  Union. 

RESOURCES 

Porto  Rico  is  not  a  large  country,  being  in  fact  but  one- 
half  the  size  of  New  Jersey,  or  about  one  hundred  miles  long 
and  forty  miles  wide,  mountainous  in  the  center,  with  a  tiat 
rim  around  its  sea  coast.  These  fertile  plains  around  the 
island's  edge  are  planted  with  sugar  and  produce  two  hun¬ 
dred  and  fifty  thousand  tons  of  sugar  aunually. 

Tobacco  is  the  next  largest  article  of  export;  then  follows 
coffee,  which  is  raised  on  the  mountains  and  highlands,  and 
is  of  a  good  quality.  When  we  consider  that  the  coffee  bill 
of  the  United  States  amounts  to  over  eighty-seven  millions 
of  dollars  a  year,  it  seems  somewhat  unfortunate  that  we 
should  pass  by  Porto  Rico  in  our  search  for  the  so-called 
IMocha  which  comes  from  the  highlands  of  Brazil. 

Fruit  culture  is  increasing  in  the  island,  oranges,  bananas, 
pineapples  and  grape  fruit  are  shipped  north  in  great  quan¬ 
tities.  Cattle-raising  is  profitable,  owing  to  the  abundance 
of  pasturage.  Besides  these  industries,  which  represent  the 
main  wealth  of  the  island,  there  are  a  few  smaller  ones, 
among  which  are  the  various  forms  of  weaving  in  straw  and 


inlaid  work  in  woods.  Woman’s  work  is  clearly  defined ;  it 
is  needle-work,  and  the  beautiful  embroideries  and  fine 
drawn-work  which  are  shown  to  the  admiring  guest  speak 
of  many  hours  passed  with  needle  and  scissors. 

With  the  increased  number  of  public  schools  has  come  a 
demand  for  teachers,  and  many  more  of  the  young  women 
of  the  island  are  preparing  themselves  for  that  work  than 
was  the  custom  in  former  years,  though  it  still  remains 
true  that  many  of  the  teachers  are  men. 

The  population  of  the  island  is  about  one  million,  and 
forty  per  cent,  of  these  are  of  colored  blood.  The 
Spanish  and  their  descendants  are,  of  course,  in  the  majority 
among  the  whites.  Many  of  them  are  wealthy  and  maintain 
the  pride  of  their  estate  with  all  the  dignity  of  Spanish 
grandees. 


THE  TRIP  TO  PORTO  RICO 

When  we  leave  the  harbor  of  New  York  we  sail  for  four¬ 
teen  hundred  miles  to  the  southeast,  and  so  come  to  San 
Juan,  the  capital.  No  frost  ever  touches  this  beautiful 
tropical  island ;  summer  and  winter  the  temperature  is  very 
much  the  same;  the  humidity  is  great,  however.  On  the 
northern  coast  the  annual  rainfall  is  about  120  inches,  and 
at  night,  especially  in  the  mountains,  everything  is  drenched 
with  heavy  dews.  On  the  southern  coast  conditions  are 
different,  and  the  dry  season  there  frequently  lasts  for  two 
or  three  months. 

The  harbors  of  Porto  Rico  are  inferior  to  those  of  Cuba ; 
on  the  other  hand,  the  highways  are  somewhat  better. 
Many  miles  of  fine  roads  have  been  made  since  the  American 
occupation  of  the  island,  and  much  new  territory  has  been 
brought  into  touch  with  the  railroad  which  runs  around  the 
northern  and  western  coast  from  San  Juan  to  Ponce.  The 
most  famous  of  all  the  I’oads,  however,  is  the  old  military 
road,  made  in  Spanish  days,  and  which  goes  straight  across 
the  island  from  San  Juan  to  Ponce,  a  distance  of  eighty-five 


6 


miles,  covered  easily  in  one  day  by  the  automobile  coaches 
which  have  largely  s^ipplanted  the  coach  and  horses  of  other 
days.  This  is  one  of  the  best  highways  in  the  western 
hemisphere,  climbing  the  mountains  with  easy  grades  and 
beautiful  curves  to  a  height  of  twenty-five  hundred  feet, 
then  dropping  to  the  level  plains  of  the  southern  coast. 
The  scenery  on  this  long  drive  is  of  great  beauty.  As  it 
climbs  higher  into  the  mountains  the  cocoa  palm  is  replaced 
by  the  royal  palm,  with  its  gray  shaft,  like  a  granite 
column,  and  its  plume-like  crown  of  verdure.  Coffee  planta¬ 
tions  creep  to  the  very  crown  of  the  mountains.  Men  and 
women  are  dotted  over  the  valleys  working  in  the  tobacco 
fields.  The  flamboyan  tree,  with  its  foliage  like  a  sensitive 
plant,  and  its  brilliant  vermillion  flowers,  shades  the  road. 
Groves  of  banana  trees  with  their  gigantic,  glossy  leaves, 
and  the  single  red  blossom  pendant  at  the  end  of  the  bunch 
of  fruit,  accentuate  the  tropical  note.  Oranges  fall  on  the 
roadside.  The  bread-tree  with  its  many-fingered  leaves 
stands  ready  with  its  fruit.  The  thatched  huts  of  the  peon 
fit  easily  into  the  landscape.  As  we  look  we  see  a  man 
ploughing  with  a  pointed  stick  in  good  Biblical  style.  His 
primitive  machine  answers  the  purposes  very  well  in  the 
rich,  moist  soil  around  us. 

MISSION  STATIONS 

San  Juan,  our  landing  place,  gives  also  our  first  view  of 
mission  work.  The  Board  of  Home  Missions  has  here  three 
organized  churches,  an  English  and  a  Spanish  church  in  San 
Juan  proper  and  a  Spanish  church  in  Santurce.  The  church 
building  in  San  Juan  is  on  a  street  near  the  palace,  and  is 
the  only  memorial  building  we  have  on  the  island.  The 
Hugh  O’Neill  Memorial  Church  contains  an  audience  room 
on  one  side,  and  schoolrooms  on  the  other,  while  on  the 
roof  there  is  a  cool,  pleasant  home  for  the  teachers,  looking 
out  over  the  harbor  and  the  channel  where  the  ships  for 
the  homeland  go  and  come. 


7 


The  English  Church  numbers  about  forty  members;  twelve 
were  added  during  the  last  year.  This  congregation  has 
raised,  for  the  support  of  the  pastor,  five  hundri>d  dollars 
during  the  year,  in  addition  to  running  expenses.  The  men 
have  recently  organized  a  Presbyterian  brotherhood,  which 
is  probably  the  first  in  the  West  Indies. 

The  Spanish  services  are  held  in  the  same  church  Sunday 
evenings,  and  the  membership  is  about  one  hundred  and 
thirty.  There  is  increasing  willingness  shown  by  the  Porto 
means  to  carry  the  responsibility  of  their  church  work. 

In  Santurce,  a  suburb  of  San  Juan,  is  one  of  our  strongest 
native  churches,  with  a  membership  of  about  two  hundred 
and  sixty.  This  was  the  first  Presbyterian  church  in  Porto 
Rico,  and  was  built  in  1900  by  our  first  missionary  in  San 
Juan. 

The  ten  years  of  Christian  instruction  have  developed  a 
sturdy  Christian  manhood  amongst  its  members.  They 
carry  on  jjrayer  meetings  in  several  wards;  they  are  inter¬ 
ested  teachers  in  the  Sunday  School,  and  they  feel  a  sense 
of  responsibility  for  other  needy  neighborhoods.  Last  year 
they  contributed  time  and  labor  towai'ds  the  erection  of  a 
house  of  worship  for  the  outlying  village  of  Cangrejo  Arriba. 
Many  of  the  workmen  walked  seven  miles  night  and  morn¬ 
ing  until  the  little  chapel  was  completed.  There  was  much 
happiness  when  it  was  dedicated  on  February  twenty-second, 
in  the  presence  of  many  friends,  both  Porto  Rican  and 
American. 

Supplementary  to  this  evangelistic  work  our  Woman’s 
Board  conducts  a  school  in  San  Juan,  in  the  Hugh  O’Neill 
Memorial  building.  It  has  two  efficient  teachers.  Last  and 
by  no  means  least  is  the  San  Juan  Hospital,  with  its  far- 
reaching  and  beneficent  work.  The  hospital  has  been  built 
on  the  cottage  system,  and  consists  now  of  four  buildings, 
dispensary,  administration  building,  the  wards,  and  Training 
Home  for  Nurses.  There  are  two  resident  physicians  in 
charge  of  the  hospital,  with  several  American  nurses.  The 
staff  of  the  training  school  consists  of  a  head  nurse  and  a 


8 


number  of  native  assistants  who  are  taking  the  regular 
course  in  nursing. 

Toa  Alta,  about  eighteen  miles  distant  from  San  Juan, 
lias  an  organized  church,  ministered  to  hy  a  native  helper, 
who  was  formerly  a  Roman  Catholic  priest.  Besides  this 
tlie  missionary  conducts  monthly  services  at  Campo  Alegre, 
Gandul,  Mellila  and  Lehorneo. 

Twenty  to  thirty  miles  west  of  San  Juan  are  the  two 
mountain  towns  Corozal  and  Naran.iito.  In  each  there  is 
an  organized  church.  There  is  a  very  good  church  building 
at  Corozal,  where  the  minister  who  serves  the  two  towns 
resides,  and  the  whole  village  seems  to  hear  the  most  kindly 
feeling  toward  him  and  his  work. 

Isabela  is  on  the  railroad,  about  fifty  miles  west  of  San 
Juan.  We  have  a  church  building  and  manse  here,  and  a  well- 
organized  church.  Our  missionaries  endeavor  to  be  most 
thorough  in  indoctrinating  their  converts,  and  every  effort  is 
made  to  make  them  thorouglil.y  intelligent  regarding  the 
Protestant  faith.  Besides  the  ordained  minister  at  Isahela 
we  have  also  a  native  helper.  At  Jobos,  an  out-station,  a 
new  chapel  has  recently  been  completed,  built  largely  by  the 
people  themselves.  The  church  is  organized  and  has  a 
growing  membership.  The  Sunday  School  services  are  some¬ 
times  so  crowded  that  the  seating  capacity  of  the  building 
is  insufficient.  At  Quebradlllas,  another  out-station,  there 
is  also  an  organize<I  church. 

Aguadilla.  a  railroad  ride  of  about  ten  miles  brings  us 
to  this  heautlful  town,  stretching  away  for  a  mile  or  more 
along  the  sea  coast,  and  still  supplied  with  water  by  the 
same  fountain  from  which  Columbus  watered  his  ships, 
ilere  we  find  a  beautiful  church  huildlng  and  a  good  manse. 
The  missionary  and  his  three  native  helpers  preach  to  twelve 
out-stations  and  four  organized  churches,  with  a  total  mem¬ 
bership  in  this  field  of  more  than  six  hundred  and  fifty. 

We  have  also  a  fiourishing  school  in  Aguadilla,  with  four 
teachers  in  charge.  The  classes  are  full  and  the  school  has 
a  strong  hold  on  the  community. 


9 


San  Sebastian  is  reached  by  driving  or  automobiling 
sixteen  miles  back  into  the  mountains.  We  have  here  a 
large  native  bouse,  the  ground  floor  of  which  is  used  for  a 
church,  and  the  second  story  for  the  missionary’s  home. 
Our  missionary,  like  all  the  others  on  the  island,  goes  on 
horseback  to  the  nearby  towns,  and  visits  four  each  week. 

Lares,  seven  miles  higher  up  in  the  mountains,  has  an 
organized  church  in  a  rented  building.  There  is  also  a 
school  conducted  by  two  American  teachers.  Returning  to 
.Vguadilla,  we  take  the  railroad  again  and  go  to 

Anasco,  a  town  of  nearly  three  thousand  people.  We 
Iiave  an  organized  church  here  and  are  about  to  put  up  a 
building.  There  are  five  out-stations  and  three  organized 
cliurches  in  tiiis  field,  Sabanetas  and  Rincon,  with  a  chapel 
recently  erected,  being  the  other  two  churches.  There  are 
two  native  helpers  at  work  in  these  places. 

Maa'aguez  we  reach  by  train.  It  is  an  attractive  town 
of  about  twenty  thousand  inhabitants,  with  the  sea  at  its 
feet  and  the  mountains  rising  beautifully  green  behind  it. 
It  was  here  that  the  first  missionary  of  our  Board  was  sent 
ill  June,  1899,  and  time  has  strengthened  the  work,  which 
is  now  large  and  well  established.  Our  church  is  in  a 
beautiful  building,  and  all  its  services  are  well  attended, 
’riie  membership  in  this  field  is  over  six  hundred  and  the 
weekly  iirayer  meeting  averages  from  one  hundred  to  one 
Imndred  and  fifty. 

The  Marina  Mission  has  been  organized  into  a  church  and 
is  a  promising  field.  A  church  has  also  been  formed  at 
llormigueros,  in  this  district.  There  are  four  Sunday 
Schools,  with  between  five  and  six  hundred  scholars.  There 
is  also  a  dispensary,  and  the  resident  physician  cares  for 
the  poor  not  only  of  Mayaguez,  hut  of  the  neighboring  towns 
as  well.  He  and  the  missionaries,  with  the  native  helpers, 
are  kept  busy  with  the  many  out-stations,  most  of  which 
must  be  visited  on  horseback.  The  medical  work  is  reach¬ 
ing  more  than  twelve  hundred  patients  a  month,  and  in¬ 
cludes  surgical  as  well  as  medical  cases.  The  Board  hopes 

10 


to  be  able  soou  to  put  up  a  small  hospital  in  connection  with 
the  dispensary- 

An  interesting  feature  of  the  work  in  Mayaguez  is  the 
Theological  Training  School  carried  on  by  the  American 
ministers,  with  the  assistance  of  some  Porto  Ricans.  The 
training  of  native  evangelists  for  work  among  their 
own  people  is  most  important  and  good  results  are  already 
beginning  to  make  themselves  felt. 

The  work  in  Mayaguez  is  centralized  on  one  large  block 
in  the  heart  of  the  city,  the  church  is  on  one  corner,  the 
Training  School  and  Colegio  on  another,  while  the  dispen¬ 
sary  and  missionary’s  home  occupy  the  other  corners. 

The  Colegio  Americano  under  the  Woman’s  Board,  is 
doing  excellent  work.  We  have  six  teachers  in  this  school. 
One  of  them,  a  native  Porto  Rican,  gives  instruction  in  the 
Spanish  classics.  As  in  all  our  schools,  the  Bible  is  in  daily 
use. 

The  Marina  school  is  also  full  to  overflowing.  The  earnest 
work  of  the  teachers  in  these  schools  has  resulted  in  the 
forming  of  an  organized  church  in  this  community. 

IMaricao,  some  miles  from  IMayaguez,  has  a  church  cared 
for  by  our  first  ordained  Porto  Rican  minister. 

From  Mayaguez  we  travel  by  train  twelve  miles  to 

San  German,  where  we  have  an  organized  church,  with 
a  fine  building,  and  a  manse  beside  it,  both  built  of  con¬ 
crete  blocks.  The  missionary  and  his  native  helpers  visit 
twenty-six  preaching  places  weekly.  There  are  four  organ¬ 
ized  churches  and  nine  Sunday  schools. 

The  Woman’s  Board  supports  one  native  teacher  at  San 
German. 

A  chapel  was  completed  last  year  at  Palmarejo,  one  of 
the  out-stations,  and  a  bell  was  sent  i)y  a  kind  friend  who 
gives  bells  whenever  they  are  needed  on  the  island. 

There  are  twenty-five  places  now  in  Porto  Rico  where 
chapels  are  urgently  needed  at  costs  varying  from  two  hun¬ 
dred  to  three  thousand  dollars.  In  all  of  these  places  the 


11 


people  have  asked  for  tlie  buildings  aud  have  themselves 
promised  to  pay  a  defliiite  proportion  of  the  costs. 

We  have  now  gone  the  rounds  of  onr  work  in  Porto  Ilico. 
It  will  be  seen  that,  aside  from  work  in  the  capital,  all  oiir 
stations  are  in  the  western  part  of  the  island.  This  is  the 
result  of  the  comity  agreement  between  the  ditferent  denomi¬ 
nations  working  in  the  island  at  the  close  of  the  war.  It 
was  agreed  by  the  secretaries  of  the  varions  Boards  that  the 
island  should  he  districted.  The  portion  for  which  we  as  a 
Presbyterian  Church  are  responsible  is  the  western  coast. 
It  will  be  helpful  and  interesting  to  look  hrietly  at  the  good 
work  now  being  done  by  the  other  denominations. 

The  Baptists,  working  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Military 
Boad,  from  San  ,Iuan  to  Ponce,  have  seventy-three  stations, 
thirty-eight  organized  churches  with  nineteen  hundred 
members,  and  forty-seven  Sunday  schools. 

The  Congregationalists  on  the  eastern  part  of  the  island, 
have  ten  churches,  three  missionaries,  lune  native  helpers, 
si.x  hundred  members,  and  one  day  school  with  one  hundred 
and  fifty-nine  pupils. 

The  Methodist  Church,  working  largely  to  the  west  of  the 
Military  Road  has  thirteen  missionaries,  and  twenty-five 
native  helpers.  They  have  organized  churches  with  nearly 
six  thousand  members. 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  has  nineteen  stations, 
seven  clergymen  and  five  women  missionaries,  three  organ¬ 
ized  churches  with  nearly  five  hundred  members,  and  three 
day  schools  with  over  four  hundred  pnpils. 

The  United  Brethren,  whose  work  is  chiefly  in  the  south¬ 
ern  part  of  the  island,  have  nine  missionaries  (men  and 
women),  fourteen  native  workers,  fourteen  churches,  twenty- 
two  ont-stations,  eight  hundred  and  seventy  members, 
twenty-three  Sunday  Schools,  with  twelve  hundred  and 
seventy-three  pupils. 


12 


CUBA 

Much  of  the  early  history  of  Porto  Itico  is  duplicated  in 
(’ul)a.  It  was  discovered  l)y  Columbus  in  1492.  lie  named 
it  Juana,  in  honor  of  I’rince  Juan,  son  of  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella.  After  the  death  of  Ferdinand  the  name  was 
changed  to  Fernandina.  Later  it  was  called  Santiago,  and 
again  Ave  Maria.  Cuba  is  said  to  be  the  name  given  to  it 
by  its  native  inhabitants.  Ct)lnmhns  visited  the  island  on 
two  later  trips,  in  1494  and  1502.  In  1508  it  was  circum¬ 
navigated  and  proved  to  be  an  island,  and  in  1511  Diego 
Columbus,  the  son  of  the  discoverer,  titled  out  an  expetlition 
for  its  colonization.  In  1514  Santiago  and  Trinidad  were 
settled.  Havana  was  founded  in  1519. 

At  the  time  of  its  discovery  Cuba  is  supposed  to  have  had 
a  population  of  about  three  hundred  thousand.  At  the  end 
of  the  century  few  of  these  survivtMl.  The  same  severe  and 
bloody  tactics  which  depopulated  Porto  Rico  were  employed 
in  Cuba,  and  with  the  same  results.  After  1580  negro  slaves 
were  imported  in  large  numbers  to  work  in  the  cultivation 
of  tobacco  and  sugar,  both  of  which  industries  became  active 
at  that  time.  The  early  history  of  Cuba  was  not  peaceful. 
The  French,  English  and  Dutch  all  attacked  its  shores.  In 
1702,  after  an  invasion  by  the  British,  about  one-fourth  of 
the  island  was  surrendered  to  the  English,  but  it  was  re¬ 
stored  to  Spain  by  treaty  a  few  months  later.  After  this 
time  Cuba  entered  upon  a  period  of  prosperity  which  con¬ 
tinued  for  many  years.  In  1825  King  Ferdinand  issued  a 
decree  which  gave  the  captain-generals  almost  absolute 
aiithority  over  the  island.  These  officers  were  not  natives 
of  Cuba,  and  many  of  them  used  the  office  solely  as  a  means 
of  acquiring  a  fortune.  The  people  of  Cuba  were  excluded 
from  office,  heavily  taxed  to  support  a  standing  army,  and 
deprived  of  civil  and  religious  liberty. 

As  a  result  the  native  population  was  filled  with  a  bitter 
hatred  of  the  Spanish  otlicers.  In  1868,  after  a  series  of 


13 


insurrections,  a  rebellion  broke  out  which  lasted  for  ten 
years.  Spain  sent  more  than  150,000  soldiers  to  quell  this 
revolt,  but  in  the  end  was  obliged  to  offer  favorable  terms 
to  the  insurrectionists.  The  promised  reforms,  however, 
were  not  realized ;  taxation  continued  as  heavy,  officials 
were  as  corrupt  and  restrictions  on  commerce  were  as  severe 
as  before  the  rebellion,  and  the  natural  result  was  a  fresh 
outbreak  of  hostilities.  This  occurred  in  February,  1895. 
For  three  years  Spain  sought  in  vain  to  suppress  the  trouble, 
sending  200,000  men  to  the  island,  and  using  measures  whose 
barbarity  filled  the  world  with  horror.  Under  Captain- 
General  Weyler  the  country  people  were  driven  from  their 
homes,  their  houses  and  crops  destroyed,  and  it  is  estimated 
that  more  than  200,000  of  them  died  of  disease  and  starva¬ 
tion. 

President  Palma  said  of  that  time,  “Only  in  the  United 
States  was  there  sympathy  for  the  oppressed  and  the  out¬ 
raged.”  Money  and  provisions  were  sent  to  feetl  the  starv¬ 
ing,  and  a  strong  sentiment  in  favor  of  warlike  aid  arose. 
This  sentiment  crystallized  when  the  battleship  Maine  was 
blown  up  in  the  Havana  harbor,  in  February,  1898,  and  on 
April  21st  war  was  declared  between  the  United  States  and 
Spain. 

Within  four  mouths  war  was  at  an  end  and  Cuba  was 
free.  By  the  terms  of  the  peace  protocol  Spain  agreed  to 
remove  her  forces  from  Cuba,  and  this  was  done  on  the 
first  of  January,  1899.  On  that  day  the  United  States 
entered  into  a  temporary  military  occupation  of  the  island 
until  a  stable  government  should  be  established  by  the 
Cubans.  This  was  accomplished  in  1902,  when  a  republic 
was  constituted  and  Palma  was  inaugurated  as  president. 

PHYSICAL  CONDITIONS 

Cuba  is  the  most  western  and  the  largest  of  the  Great 
Antilles.  Because  of  its  beauty  and  fertility,  Columbus  first 
gave  it  the  title  of  the  Pearl  of  the  Antilles.  “It  has  but 


14 


a  small  proportion  of  untillable  declivities  and  rocky  areas, 
such  as  are  found  in  New  England ;  no  barren  fields  of 
volcanic  lava,  such  as  occur  in  the  Central  American  lands; 
no  arid  areas  like  those  which  make  up  so  large  a  propor¬ 
tion  of  Mexico  and  the  western  haif  of  the  United  States; 
no  stretches  of  sterile,  sandy  lands,  like  those  of  Florida 
and  other  coastal  Southern  States.  Its  proportion  of  swamp 
lands  is  less  than  that  of  the  average  American  seaboard 
State.  The  whole  island  is  covered  with  rich  soils — fertile 
calcareous  loams — which  under  constant  humidity  yield  in 
abundance  every  form  of  usefui  vegetation  of  the  tropical 
and  temperate  climes.” 

Its  area,  including  the  adjacent  islands,  is  about  45,000 
square  miles,  or  slightly  less  than  that  of  New  York  State. 
It  is  nearly  seven  times  as  long  as  Long  Island,  and  stretches 
between  the  longitudes  of  New  York  and  Cincinnati,  about 
720  miles.  It  is  less  than  one  hundred  miles  wide.  Its 
sea-coast  is  very  extensive.  With  all  its  indentations  and 
inciuding  the  bordering  islets — about  thirteen  hundred  in 
number — it  is  over  G,800  miles.  There  are  fifty-four  ports, 
only  fifteen  of  which  have  heretofore  been  open  to  the  com¬ 
merce  of  the  world.  The  light-houses  along  the  coast  are 
very  few,  and  many  of  the  harbors  greatly  need  improving. 

Cuba  has  a  backbone  of  highiands,  which  in  the  province 
of  Santiago  becomes  a  mountain  range  of  boid  proportions, 
cuiniinating  in  the  Pico  del  Turquino,  which  rises  very 
abruptly  from  the  sea  to  a  height  of  about  8,500  feet.  Cuba 
is  famous  for  its  beautiful  and  fertile  valleys,  many  of  which 
are  wide  plains  watered  by  rivers  and  streams  on  their  way 
to  the  sea.  One  of  the  most  beautiful  is  the  peculiar 
circular  basin  west  of  Matanzas,  called  the  valley  of  the 
Yumuri.  “This  comparatively  level  depression  is  some  five 
or  six  miles  in  diameter,  and  dotted  with  picturesque  estates 
and  long  avenues  of  royal  palms.  Through  its  center  winds 
the  beautifui  Yumuri  River,  which  finds  an  outlet  at  Ma¬ 
tanzas  through  the  vertical  walls  of  an  exquisite  canon.  It 
is  enclosed  on  all  sides  by  steeply  sloping  walls  rising  some 


15 


five  or  six  huudred  feet  to  the  level  of  a  plateau  out  of 
which  the  valley  has  been  cut.  It  has  been  truly  said  that 
it  is  impossible  to  describe  the  charm  of  this  ‘Happy  Valley,’ 
so  rich  in  its  vegetation,  and  so  delightfully  is  it  wateretl 
by  tlie  river  Yumuri  and  tributary  streams;  so  delicious, 
even  on  the  hottest  summer  days  is  its  atmosphere,  tem¬ 
pered  by  the  Atlantic  breezes.” 

There  are  many  streams  on  the  island,  two  hundred  of 
them  rising  to  the  dignity  of  being  calletl  rivers.  The 
largest  of  these  is  the  Cauto,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  long.  One  peculiarity  of  the  water  courses  is  that 
many  of  the  streams  sink  into  the  earth  and  follow  subter¬ 
ranean  passages,  sometimes  never  reappearing.  The  caverns 
of  the  country  are  very  beautiful  in  snow-like  whiteness  and 
delicacy  of  the  stalactite  and  stalagmite  forms. 

Much  of  the  island  of  Cuba  is  still  covered  with  an 
uncleared  forest  of  tropical  luxuriance.  Many  of  the  finest 
woods  of  commerce  are  to  he  found  there.  The  palm,  with 
over  thirty  species,  is  everywhere  present. 

RESOURCES 

Three  hundred  years  of  cultivation  have  exterminated 
tlie  forests  from  the  valleys  of  the  center  and  west  of  the 
island,  and  vast  fields  of  sugar  have  taken  their  place. 
iMany  of  the  estates  embrace  several  thousand  acres,  and 
the  superior  methods  of  handling  cane  and  extracting  the 
juice  have  made  the  cultivation  of  cane-sugar  profitable  in 
spite  of  the  competition  of  beet-sugar,  which  has  so  impov¬ 
erished  many  of  the  other  islands  of  the  West  Indies.  Cuba 
produces  nearly  two  million  tons  of  cane-sugar  a  year. 

Tobacco  is  secondary  to  sugar  as  to  the  area  under  cadti- 
vation,  but  is  more  profitable  in  proportion  to  the  acreage. 
It  is  said  that  with  care  three  thousand  dollars’  worth  of 
tobacco  may  be  raised  on  a  single  acre.  About  eighty  thou¬ 
sand  persons  are  on  an  average  engaged  in  its  cultivation. 

Coffee  at  one  time  was  an  important  crop,  but  at  present 

16 


it  is  nearly  ail  consumed  locally.  Fruit  and  nuts  have  been 
profitable,  and  can  be  made  increasingly  so.  Vegetables  for 
the  nortbern  market  are  a  source  of  revenue.  Along  some 
portions  of  the  coast  turtle  and  si)onge  fishing  are  active 
industries.  Ciattle-raising  is  becoming  an  increasingly  profit¬ 
able  industry  owing  to  the  large  area  of  rich  pasture  lands. 
Iron  ore  lias  been  so  far  the  chief  metallic  resource  of  Cuba. 
Asiibaltum  is  found  in  a  few  iilaces;  there  is  also  some 
copjier  and  salt,  but  the  mineral  wealth  of  the  island  is  not 
great.  The  value  of  all  its  exports  has  increased  131  per 
cent,  in  tlie  last  ten  years,  and  tlie  ])rincipal  trade  has  been 
with  the  United  States. 

The  means  of  communication  are  poor,  as  aside  from  a 
few  main  highways  the  roads  are  in  a  poor  condition. 
There  are  about  sixteen  hundred  miles  (tf  railway.  The 
principal  line  runs  from  Havana  to  Santiago.  Some  of  the 
lines  connect  with  private  railways  built  by  the  iilanters 
for  convenience  in  moving  their  crops.  The  fact  that  most 
of  the  large  towns  of  Cuba  are  seaports,  taken  with  the 
additional  fact  of  the  narrowness  of  the  island  and  the 
numerous  good  harbors,  has  rendered  the  inhabitants  more 
indifferent  to  the  means  of  travel  on  laud.  Many  of  the 
ports  are  regularly  visited  by  American,  French  and  Spanisli 
lines  of  steamers. 

t’uba  is  rather  thinly  populated  considering  its  great  fer¬ 
tility.  In  1!X)7  the  estimated  population  was  2,04S,!)80. 
During  the  troublous  times  of  the  insurrection,  with  its 
fatal  accompaniments  of  disease  and  famine,  tliere  was  a 
marked  decrease. 


THE  PEOPLE  AND  THE  COUNTRY 

Of  the  Cuban  whites,  perhaps  one-fifth  are  8i)anish.  In 
1841  it  is  said  tliat  fifty-eight  ])er  cent,  of  tlie  ])opulation 
was  black,  while  in  1007  the  percentage  was  but  thirty. 
There  are  also  about  thirty  thousand  coolies  who  have  been 
gradually  imiiorted,  principally  from  China.  The  poimla- 


17 


tion  of  Cuba  was  greatly  changed  at  the  time  of  the  insur¬ 
rection.  The  rural  population  of  tiie  four  western  provinces 
was  iargeiy  obliterated,  and  the  Bishop  of  Havana  is  author¬ 
ity  for  the  statement  that  more  than  four  hundred  thousand 
people  were  buried  in  consecrated  cemeteries. 

Seventy-five  years  ago  Humboidt  placed  Havana  with  Rio 
Janiero  as  one  of  the  five  great  tropicai  cities  of  the  world. 
Havana  is  22  degrees  north,  Rio  22  degrees  south  of  the 
equator.  When  Humboidt  wrote  Havana  had  a  population 
of  one  hundred  thousand,  while  that  of  Rio  was  one  hundred 
and  thirty-five  thousand.  At  present  the  population  of  Rio 
is  about  six  liundred  thousand,  while  that  of  Havana  is  but 
three  hundred  thousand.  The  uncertain  governmental  con¬ 
ditions  in  Cuba  have  doubtless  been  a  large  reason  for  the 
retarded  growth  of  Havana. 

San  Cristobal  de  la  Habana,  to  give  the  full  Spanish  name 
to  this  picturesque  old  city,  is  beautifully  situated  on  one 
of  the  finest  harbors  in  the  world.  Its  entrance  is  guarded 
by  several  forts,  famous  for  their  antiquity.  The  building 
material  of  Havana  is  a  loosely-textured  conglomerate  of 
sea-shell,  of  a  glaring  white  color.  This  is  covered  with 
stucco  and  often  brilliantly  colored.  The  parks  and  prom¬ 
enades  of  the  city  are  many  and  beautiful.  The  Prado  is 
a  magnificent  avenue  of  unusual  width ;  the  fashionable 
Parque  Central,  with  its  wealth  of  trees  and  flowers,  forms 
an  enlargement  of  this  avenue,  and  is  one  of  the  attractive 
features  of  the  city.  Fronting  on  it  are  the  best  hotels  and 
theatres,  while  around  it  extend  open-air  Crt/d.s-,  brilliantly 
lighted  at  night,  and  as  gay  as  those  of  Paris. 

Havana  is  said  to  possess  20,000  houses.  Of  these  14,000 
are  but  one  story  high,  3,000  are  two-story  buildings,  while 
but  250  reach  the  limit  of  four  stories.  The  small  houses 
contain  no  storerooms,  pantries  or  closets,  which  necessi¬ 
tates  the  purchase  of  supplies  from  day  to  day. 

One-fifth  of  the  population  of  Havana  lives  within  the 
area  once  surrounded  by  the  now  demolishetl  walls.  Some 
of  the  old  streets  are  so  narrow  that  signs  are  placed  on 


18 


their  corners  sifjuifying  “up”  or  “down,”  to  indicate  that 
drivers  must  pass  in  one  direction  only.  Rents  all  over  the 
city  are  high,  and  Havana  is  a  very  expensive  place  in 
which  to  live. 

The  second  city  and  seaport  of  central  Cuba  is  Matanzas, 
about  sixty  miles  east  of  Havana ;  its  population  is  about 
fifty  thousand. 

Santiago,  in  the  eastern  province,  is  the  center  of  the 
mineral  region  of  Cuba.  It  is  one  of  the  most  important 
places  on  the  island  from  a  strategic  and  political  point  of 
view.  Its  population  is  about  sixty  thousand. 

MISSION  STATIONS 

Although  Cuba  does  not  belong  to  us  in  any  political 
sense,  its  proximity  made  it  seem  wise  that  our  mission 
work  there  should  be  under  the  management  of  the  Board 
of  Home  Missions,  just  as  the  remoteness  of  the  Philippines 
had  made  it  more  convenient  that  its  mission  work  should 
l)e  conducted  by  the  Boai’d  of  Foreign  Missions. 

The  progress  of  Protestant  missions  has  been  marked ; 
the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  people  turn  eagerly  toward  the 
simple  gospel.  Especially  in  the  smaller  cities  is  it  true 
that  they  welcome  the  Protestant  missions,  and  that  every 
idace  opened  for  services  is  at  first  filled  with  interested 
seekers  after  truth.  The  writer  of  a  book  entitled  “To¬ 
morrow  in  Cuba,”  in  speaking  of  the  religious  situation 
there,  says :  “To  the  mass  of  the  Cuban  people,  the  Church 
as  it  remained  to  them  was  hateful.  It  was  identified  with 
all  that  was  bad  in  the  buried  Spanish  domination.  If  not 
hostile  they  were  indifferent.  .  .  .  The  extent  to  which  the 
Cuban  people  have  fallen  away  from  the  Church  is  recog- 
nizcHl  by  American  Catholics.  Whether  it  is  a  permanent 
alienation  must  be  determined  by  events.  .  .  .  The  intel¬ 
lectual  life  of  the  island  has  been  variously  described  as 
agnostic,  infidel,  and  free  thinking.  A  majority  of  the  men 
call  themselves  free-thinkers  to  describe  their  mental  atti- 


19 


tilde  rather  toward  the  Catholic  Church  than  to  religion.” 
To  meet  these  conditions  our  Protestant  missionaries  must 
show  great  tact  and  wisdom.  One  of  the  most  delicate 
questions  since  the  war  has  been  that  of  the  cemeteries. 
Popular  resentment  was  strong  against  the  Church  for  its 
monopoly  of  the  burial  of  the  dead,  and  the  utterance  of  a 
young  Cuban,  “Protestantism  cannot  be  bad  because  they 
baptize  you  free,  and  they  bury  you  free,”' gives  insight  into 
the  feelings  of  the  Cubans  as  to  the  externals,  at  least,  of 
oiir  faith. 

Havana  was  chosen  as  our  first  mission  field,  and  in 
October,  191)1,  our  first  missionary  began  work.  In  January, 
1902,  the  first  Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  with 
fifty  members.  After  worshipping  for  some  years  in  a 
rented  building,  a  plot  of  ground,  centrally  located,  was 
purchased,  and  in  October,  1907,  a  beautiful  church  was 
dedicated.  The  audience  room  is  large  and  airy;  the  build¬ 
ing  also  contains  a  home  for  the  missionary  and  teachers. 
This  was  the  first  Protestant  church  edifice  to  be  erected 
in  the  city,  and  has  done  much  to  give  prestige  and  soli¬ 
darity  to  our  mission. 

In  countries  like  Cuba  and  I’orto  Rico,  where  the  govern¬ 
ment  has  always  supported  the  Church,  the  people  are  to 
a  certain  extent  unfavorably  impressed  by  a  religion  which 
is  unable  to  put  up  a  fine  church  building.  They  argue 
that  if  the  people  of  that  religion  do  not  care  enough  for 
it  to  build  a  suitable  church,  the  religion  cannot  be  worth 
much. 

Our  missionary  in  Havana  and  his  assistants  preach  in 
five  other  stations  in  the  city  besides  tbe  out-stations 
IMarinao,  Puentes  Grandes  and  Bejucal.  The  Woman’s 
Board  conducts  a  school  in  Havana  with  two  teachers. 

Guines  was  the  second  station  occupied  by  oiir  church,  in 
January,  1902.  It  is  about  tliirty-five  miles  southeast  of 
Havana,  and  can  be  readied  by  railroad.  It  is  a  city  of 
about  nine  thousand  people,  and  is  situated  in  a  beautiful 
and  fertile  plain.  The  elders  of  this  church  are  all  Cubans 


20 


who  have  been  brought  into  the  Protestant  faith  since  our 
work  was  founded  there.  Our  school  is  a  flourishing  one 
with  three  teachers. 

A  few  miles  beyond  Gnines  we  have  two  organized 
churches,  San  Nicolas  and  Nueva  Paz.  At  the  latter  place 
there  is  an  attractive  church  building,  which  includes  a 
residence  for  the  missionary.  We  have  there  also  a  flour¬ 
ishing  school  under  the  care  of  one  American  and  two 
native  teachers. 

The  tendency  toward  church  union  finds  a  significant 
iiinstration  in  the  transfer  by  the  Congregational  Home 
Missionary  Society  of  all  its  work  in  Cuba  to  the  1‘resby- 
terian  Board  of  Home  Missions.  By  this  transfer,  made 
in  March,  ltX)9,  five  churches  and  one  out-station  were 
added  to  our  list.  These  were  Guana  jay,  Matanzas,  Cien- 
fuegos,  Guanabacoa,  and  San  Antonio  de  ios  Baiios,  with 
tiie  chapel  of  San  Francisco  in  Havana. 

Sancti  Spiritus  is  a  long  railway  ride  of  two  hundred 
miles  east  of  Havana.  It  is  situated  about  twenty-four 
miles  from  the  coast,  and  in  the  province  of  Santa  Clara ; 
a  I’ich  agricultural  district.  It  has  a  population  of  about 
twelve  thousand  people.  It  boasts  the  oldest  Roman  Cath¬ 
olic  church  on  the  island,  dating  back  to  1604.  In  May, 
11)02,  our  mission  work  began  there,  and  for  several  years 
it  has  been  held  in  a  building  which  was  formerly  a  Jesuit 
college.  The  missionary  and  his  elder  serve  also  three  out- 
stations.  Our  school  here  is  one  of  the  largest  we  have  in 
('uba  and  is  conducted  by  two  American  and  two  native 
teachers. 

West  of  Havana  we  have  organized  churches  at  Guira 
de  Melana,  Artemlsa  and  San  Cristobal,  with  the  out- 
stations  Cayajabos,  Candelaria  and  Puerto  Esperanza,  and 
occasional  services  at  two  other  points. 

We  now  have  in  Cuba  five  American  missionaries,  with 
eight  native  ministers  and  three  licentiates.  We  have  six¬ 
teen  organized  churches,  with  a  membership  of  1,400.  Our 
Sabbath  Schools  number  twenty-three,  with  an  attendance 


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of  about  1,500.  We  have  six  day  schools,  taught  by  eight 
American  and  seven  native  teachers.  Two  of  these  schools 
are  self-supporting.  The  total  enrollment  of  pupils  is  about 
350.  The  average  weekly  attendance  upon  our  services  is 
2,623. 

A  missionary  writes :  “The  attitude  of  the  public  toward 
the  Gospel  varies  in  different  places ;  much  depends  on  the 
local  priest,  and  also  upon  the  aptitude  and  tact  of  the 
pastor. 

“The  principal  obstacles  may  be  summed  up  as  Romish 
fanaticism,  governmental  patronage  (indirect)  of  the  Roman 
Church,  governmental  indifference  to  the  intellectual  and 
moral  condition  of  the  people,  prevalent  disbelief,  the  lottery, 
cock  fighting.  Sabbath  breaking,  licentiousness  fostered  by 
immoral  public  spectacles  in  places  of  entertainment,  to 
which  may  be  added  a  growing  anti-American  prejudice.” 

Having  thus  gone  over  the  work  which  our  own  Boards 
are  doing,  we  will  look  briefly  at  the  work  of  the  other 
denominations. 

The  Episcopal  Church  has  forty-eight  stations,  seven  mis¬ 
sionaries,  thirty-one  native  helpers,  four  organized  churches, 
one  thousand  three  hundred  and  fifty  communicants,  besides 
twelve  schools  with  five  hundred  pupils. 

The  Southern  i^aptists  have  eighteen  churches,  eighteen 
ministers,  native  and  American,  over  a  thousand  church 
members,  and  nearly  as  many  pupils  in  Sunday  Schools. 

The  Northern  Baptists  have  sixty-eight  stations,  forty- 
four  organized  churches,  2,218  churcli  members,  forty-two 
Sunday-schools  with  1.630  pupils. 

The  Southern  Methodists  have  twenty-four  men  and 
women,  twenty-six  native  helpers,  fourteen  organized 
churches,  three  thousand  two  hundred  and  three  members, 
thirty-five  church  buildings.  They  have  also  three  schools 
with  an  approximate  attendance  of  seven  hundred. 


No.  352.-  2ud  Ed.  Kev.— 5,  1910 
Price,  five  cents  each;  $4.50  per  100. 


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